While Autumn may be around the corner, there is just enough summer left for those who wish to flaunt silky-smooth arms in their cute sleeveless tops before packing them away for the season.
Of course, not everyone falls into this category. You may not have any desire to sporting sleeveless outfits and can’t wait for summer to be over.
Whichever category you fall into, if you’re interested in learning about what to do about hairy arms, this one is for you.
More than shaving and creams, waxing has been proven to be one of the best ways to remove unwanted hair.
It takes the hair out from the roots, which is also called depilation and removes it, ensuring slower regrowth than most other hair removal methods out there.
There are many different methods of waxing becoming popular (especially warm wax). It is amongst the most effective ways to get rid of unwanted hairs temporarily.
This article is a one-stop shop for all you need to know about arm waxing, the good and the bad, the how-tos, and the best hair removal products. Without further ado, let’s begin!
Pros and Cons of Waxing your Arms
Before moving forward, read through this list we have compiled for you with all the pros and cons of waxing.
Pros of Waxing your Arms
Here is everything that can go right when you decide to wax your arms:
• You can bid farewell to strawberry legs, spots, and in-grown hair, which is a common effect of shaving every couple of days.
• It is quicker, cheaper, and is required to be done less often because it takes a while for them to grow back (about 4-8 weeks depending).
• If you want to go for the sleek, flawless look of models or want your body to be more aerodynamic like swimmers, this can be your go-to method.
• Waxing is more hygienic for people who work out regularly or are constantly on the go.
• Of course, there is that feeling you get when your skin feels smooth and supple against your clothes, especially if you’ve had relatively coarser hair previously.
• Overall, exfoliating, moisturizing, and other skincare regimes become more effective when your arms are hairless.
Cons of Waxing Your Arms
Here is what can or might go wrong:
• Some sensitivity can develop because hair protects the skin from external elements. You might likely feel more sensations once the layer of hair is gone.
• The sun can do more damage to completely waxed arms. It becomes more important that you regularly wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen if you are sticking to waxed arms or wearing full-sleeve clothing.
• Over-exfoliation is a common side effect of waxing. Exfoliation can cause some irritation on your skin, especially soon after waxing.
• While we recommend a professional, doing it yourself at home can lead to patchy areas, especially if you have not done the research and have all the information. It can also leave a burn if you aren’t careful.
• The process of waxing and rewaxing follows a timeline. You would have to wait till the hair grows to a certain length to be able to wax again, and that means you’d have to sit through the stubble phase
• Sensitive skin can react to waxing, so always do a patch test first.
also don’t forget to checkout how to use roll on wax?
Step-by-Step Guide on How to Wax Your Arms at Home
1. First of all, make sure that you have everything you need to start waxing. A pair of clean, warm towels, wax machine, wax, applicator, waxing paper, a dustbin, oil, and talcum powder
2. Now, you need to do a patch test on your skin at least 24 hours before using the product to check and be confident that the product is not causing any allergic reactions to your skin.
3. In this step, you need to make sure that the area you want to wax is clean. Use a warm towel to clean your arms and then gently pat dry them. Drying the arms is essential as otherwise, the wax will not apply smoothly on your skin.
4. Once you have cleaned and dried your arms, take some talcum powder and apply a thin layer to your arms.
Dust off any extra powder; by adding the powder to your arm, the powder will absorb any excess moisture from your skin. This step will also help in getting the wax off your skin quickly later on.
5. Now, warm the wax as instructed on the packaging of the product. You may use a wax machine for this purpose.
After warming the wax, arrange all essentials in the sequence of usage for your accessibility. Spread a towel and spread wax, spatula, and wax paper strips on it.
6. For arms, you must always start applying the wax from the shoulders and work your way down towards the wrist and hands.
Apply a thin layer of wax with the help of the spatula/applicator. Make sure that you follow the direction of the hair while applying the wax.
7. Cover the area where you have applied wax with the strip and smooth the strip firmly on the arm to make sure that it is stuck with the wax properly. Rub your hand on the strip three to four times to keep the wax warm.
8. Now, remove the strip with a strong jerk motion of your hand. Be careful. You have to strip in the opposite direction of your hair growth. For perfect results, you must pull the strip backward and not outwards.
When you pull the strip backward, it will ensure more hair removal and reduce the risk of hair breakage and ingrown hairs by minimizing the pores.
9. Keep repeating the process until you are down to your hands and your fingers.
10. Repeat the same steps for the second arm. You must warm the wax again.
11. After waxing if your arms, remove any remaining and stuck wax with the help of a warm towel.
12. Pat, dry your skin again. Now put some oil, body lotion, or aloe vera gel on your arms.
Different Types of Wax Used for Arm Hair Removal
Soft wax
Soft wax is the most common form of wax used for removing hair from your arms. This wax is skin-friendly and is mild, causing lesser side effects or skin reactions.
You need to use strips along with the soft wax to remove hair from your arms neatly. It is ideal for heating soft wax before applying it to the skin as it makes it work more effectively and helps remove the tiniest bit of hair from the roots.
You also need to take care of speed and technique while using soft wax as it quickly starts drying off on the skin. The key is to put an even and warm coat of soft wax, then instantly remove it using a strip.
Hard Wax
Hard wax is a special kind of wax that is solid in its original form and needs to be melted for usage. Hard wax usually comes as solid bars or tiny wax beans that have to be added to a wax machine.
The great thing about using hard wax is that you do not need any waxing strips to remove the wax. Less wastage, less mess.
Hard wax solidifies in a thick and even layer that can easily be peeled off on its own, revealing smooth and hairless arms underneath.
This method of waxing is not as common as soft wax, but it is becoming increasingly popular, especially on Instagram and other social media platforms.
Hard wax is said to be a less painful method of waxing compared to others as it is made of high-quality ingredients that give you more effective results.
Pre-made Wax Strips
In the case of pre-made wax strips, the strips have the wax attached to them already. This is a very convenient and easy-to-use waxing method.
It not only eases the process, but it also ensures the product quantity is the perfect required amount.
The wax strips are a quick fix to your hair removal. If the hair growth is minimal, you may also use the same wax strip for more than one area.
Before using the wax strips, always rub them thoroughly between your palms to pre-heat them so that the wax melts and sticks to the skin properly. Then you separate the two strips and place one on your arm.
After placing the strip, move the strip slightly in the direction of the hair to ensure that it’s stuck properly.
You will pull the strip from the opposite direction; use the strip for more area if the wax remains sticky, and you see that it can pull more hair.
Tips from Effectively Waxing Your Arms at Home
1. Wax Temperature
Whenever waxing, always check the temperature for your tolerance. Apply heated wax on the inner side of your wrist to check.
It must not give you pain. It should be hot but must not burn your hand. It should be hot that is tolerable.
2. Applying Wax Properly
It doesn’t matter whether you are using strips or stripless waxing products. The important part is the smooth application of the wax. Apply the wax and place the strip in the same direction.
Never put a used applicator in the container again. This way, you will avoid the chances of bacteria on your skin and in your wax jar.
3. Pulling the Right Way
A very important factor in waxing is also how specifically you pull the waxing strip in the opposite direction of your hair growth pattern.
Some waxes need time to come in the form where you can pull them; whereas for others, you news to pull out the strip immediately after placing it and ensuring that it’s stuck properly.
4. Painless Waxing
In order to make it less painful or pain-free. You must hold your skin tightly while pulling the wax strip.
Another way is to apply a numbing cream on the area you need to wax 30 minutes before waxing. This will numb the skin, and you will not feel any pain while pulling.
5. Some More Useful Tips
The consistency of the wax must be like honey, and you should never overheat the wax. You must use baby oil on your skin to make it soft like a baby.
Always keep all your things aligned and ready when starting to wax so that you don’t need to rush in a panic situation.
If you are running out of wax paper, you can always use brown paper bags to wax as well.
Avoid waxing sunburns, rashes, or irritated skin. Aloe Vera gel works as a great cooling agent to calm skin after the waxing session.
How Often Should You Wax Your Arms?
How often one waxes their arms depends on several different factors. These include:
- The length of your hair
- The texture of your hair
- The speed of hair regrowth
- The color of your hair
- Your skin type
- Skin allergies if you have any
On average, you may need waxing anytime between three to eight weeks. This is highly dependent on your hair growth.
Make sure your hair is at least a quarter-inch when you are planning to do waxing or getting waxed, as this is the optimum length for effective waxing.
It is imperative to understand there is no rule of thumb when it comes to determining the ideal frequency of waxing your arms.
The most common trend is that people wax their arms every month, but this rule does not apply to everyone.
For people with thicker hair or faster hair regrowth, they need to wax their arms at least 1-2 times a month.
Similarly, for people with lighter hair growth, waxing can be once in two months ritual as their hair would neither show nor grow back within a month.
In addition to this, for people with coarser hair but sensitive skin, waxing too frequently can cause skin irritation and other allergic reactions.
In such cases, waxing should be done less frequently to avoid putting your skin at constant risk.
Apart from this, waxing your arms is also more of a personal choice. Therefore, if a certain length of hair on your arms does not bother you too much, you can wax less frequently and save your skin from the side effects of waxing.
Final Words
We hope that the information in this blog helped you learn all about waxing your arms at home. You can follow this guide and enjoy smooth, silky hairless arms with the easy waxing method at home.
The process keeps getting easier as you keep practicing. You may now wear whatever you want with your beautifully waxed arms.
Waxing usually lasts up to four to six weeks. Dress up, go out and enjoy your silky soft, beautiful arms.
Keep watching this space for more waxing and hair removal guides.